We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Danielle, do you have a budget? How do you make lifestyle and spending decisions?
As soon as this question was asked, I immediately got excited because learning how to use a budget in my early teens is what started me on a path towards financial freedom. I just didn’t know it at the time.
To this day, I can honestly say that having the discipline to create and stick to a budget or spending plan as I sometimes like to call it, is what allowed my husband and I to pay off over six figures of debt in a relatively short period of time.
Now, when it comes to lifestyle and spending decisions, my husband and I operate as a team in our decision making. The key to making this work is to over communicate. We talk often and when we don’t agree on a particular financial decision, we will typically just circle back. This way, we’ve both had time to think about it, and this strategy is what helps us to come up with a plan of action to move forward.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
About Your Work
I am the founder of MoneyinMatrimony.com, an online community dedicated to teaching married couples how to earn more income, get rid of debt and save for the future. In 2017, after finding out that I would soon become a mom, my husband and I got serious about building wealth and paid off roughly $108,000 of consumer debt in just under 3 years. We made our last consumer debt payment in Feb of 2020.
What Sets You Apart from Others?
My work is unique because I tailor my content towards couples. I took this approach because there are so many others in the personal finance space who create content for the general population and I absolutely love that! However; since the majority of my personal experience with managing money has been in conjunction with my husband of almost 14 years, I much prefer to teach from that place.
In addition, I also focus on teaching couples how to change their mindsets because I believe that improving your finances is 80% mindset and 20% spreadsheets. I want people to know that once they can take control of their mindsets, they will be capable of doing anything!
Although there are some in my community who are not married or in a relationship, there is still a ton of information they can learn in regards to how to thrive with their finances. And that’s what I am able to offer!
What Are You Most Proud of?
Right now, I am most proud of a recent media opportunity that I was invited to do. This is mainly because there have been many days in which I doubted myself and my ability to help others change their financial situations. I didn’t feel as if I was being seen or heard. Then, all of a sudden, an opportunity presented itself for me to do a short segment on a local news station which focused on couples and money. I didn’t know the producer and I hadn’t even pitched the station. All that I can say is that it was nothing but the favor of God!
How Did You Get to Where You are Today Professionally? Was it easy? If not, How Did You Overcome the Challenges?
Lots of prayer, and support from family and friends has gotten me to where I am today. I’d also be remised if I didn’t mention the abundance of help that I received from a few of my peers and business coaches in this space.
Getting to this point has not been easy at all. There were lots of long nights, filled with tears and dozens of tech issues. In addition, I was working full-time, still trying to figure out the ins and outs of motherhood, all while grieving the loss of several close family members who just kept passing away back to back. To say I was stressed would be an understatement.
I can certainly admit that there were more than a few times in which I wanted to give up. However; I was determined to keep forging ahead. Many times, I overcame all of the challenges I endured by constantly telling myself that somebody is waiting for me to share the knowledge that I have so that they could improve their financial situation.
What are the Lessons You’ve Learned Along the Way?
While on this journey of building my business, I have learned that things will not always go as planned and that being a perfectionist can hold you back. Sometimes, it works to your benefit, but other times, it just causes you to overthink every little thing which can be unproductive.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that I can no longer do everything on my own and that it is okay to ask for and even hire help. I struggled with this for months because I thought I could do everything myself, which was simply not true.
What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want the world to know that improving their finances starts with embarking on a journey to change your mindset. Yes, you might use a few spreadsheets, but the bulk of the work involves you adjusting your overall thoughts and beliefs about money.
I also want people to know that they have the power to change their own money stories. They don’t have to fall victim to the things they endured growing up. And because I’ve personally experienced the transformation that takes place when there is a shift in mindset, I can honestly say that Money in Matrimony is a safe space designed to help people rewrite a new money narrative.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I wanted to show someone around the city of Houston during a week-long trip, here are a few of the places we might visit: The Breakfast Club, First Watch, Torchy’s Taco’s, Waffle Bus, Juicy Crab, Turkey Leg Hut, Jax Grill, Bar Louie, Taste of Texas, Grand Lux Cafe, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Top Golf, Prospect Park, Improv Houston, Flip N’ Fun Trampoline Park, Let’s Do This Houston – Night Light Bike Ride, Houston Fun Plex, Showboat Drive-in Movies, and Towne Lake Boardwalk.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I would like to thank God for placing this assignment on my heart. If He had not planted the seed within me, I don’t know if any of this would even exist.
Next, I’d like to recognize Kemberley Washington, CPA for the mentorship she provided beginning back in 2006 and still does to this day. She has pushed me, encouraged me and even prayed with me for years prior to me actually putting myself out there. She is one of the reasons why I decided to pursue my God-Given purpose in the first place.
In addition, my family and some of my closest friends have also offered their unwavering love and support. I’ve asked them to review and test so many things as I’ve tried to build my business and I want them to know how much I appreciate all that they have done.
Last, but not least, I’ve also had a few business coaches who have really just poured into me. As a result, I can see that the strategies I’ve learned from them are starting to pay off.
Website: https://moneyinmatrimony.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moneyinmatrimony
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/danielleharrisdavis
Facebook: https://facebook.com/moneyinmatrimony
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCmklRCaCQT_alIODQcKxeyA
Other: https://daniellerenedavis.com
Image Credits
Crystal Vaughn